Sealed ball-bearing regreasing device



Feb. 13, 1945.

P. E. RICHMOND ET AL SEALED BALL BEARING REGREASING DEVICE Filed May 6, 1944 URRIS E. RFCHMOND DONN J. i

Gum/M1 S WOLD Patented Feb. 13, 1945 SEALED BALL-BEARING REGREASING DEVICE Purris E. Richmond, Port Orchard, and-Donn J.

Griswold, Bremerton, Wash.

Application May 6, 1944, Serial No. 534,516

(Granted under the act ofiMarch 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) 3 Claims.

This invention relates to a sealed ball bearing regreasing device and has for an object to provide a valved coupling arrangement for temporarily connecting a sealed ball bearing to a high pressure grease gun, enabling a new supply of grease to be forced into the sealed ball bearing.

A further object of this invention is to provide a means :for forcing a new supply of grease into a sealed ball bearing, that is, into a ball bearing of the type that is ordinarily not designed to; receive a new supply of grease, and wherein it is generally necessary to discard the used ball bearing in'favor of a new ball bearing.

With this invention, such ordinarily discardable ball bearings are forcibly repacked with new grease, thereby multiplying the life period of such sealed ball bearing.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, one form of the invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of the parts hereinafter described and illustrated in the drawing, in which: I v

The figure is a sectional view of this invention applied to a sealed ball bearing.

There is shown at III a sealed ball bearing with the usual inner bearing ring II and the usual outer bearing ring I2, with the bearing balls I3 mounted in the cage I4. Theusual sealing rings I5 and I6 mounted on opposite sides of the bearing Ill and secured in recesses H in the outer bearing ring l2 serve to retain the original supply of grease therein for quite a long time, many times longer than the bearing would remain greased if it were an open bearing. In one example of service, an open bearing needs to be greased weekly, while the sealed bearing lasts for six months.

However, at the end of such long period, the sealed bearing is customarily discarded, for previous to this invention, no means existed for adding anew supply of grease to the sealed hearing Hi. This invention includes a plug I8 for filling the space within the inner ring I I.' The plug I8 is provided with a flange 20 adapted to abut against the end of the ring II and prevent it from being forced therethrough. A .cup 2| is provided with an annulus 22 for abutting the end of the outer ring l2 and providing an an- Extending from the annulus 22 is an externally threaded flange 21 adapted to cooperate with the internally threaded flange 28 of a cup opening in the inner ring II of the sealed ball' bearing, and then the cups 2i and 30 are threaded together about the bearing l0. Next, any conventional type of high pressure grease gun is fitted against the grease nipple, and grease is forced through the nipple fl'under sufiicient pressure to cause it to pass by the nearer sealing ring I5 into and filling the bearing space about the balls l3 and then past the further sealing ring l6, showing that the bearing has been fully regreased. Obviously, any warnout grease would be first forced out, and the pressure should be applied until clean grease is visible through the opening 3|.

other modifications and changes in the pro- 4 portions and arrangements of the parts may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the nature and scope of the invention,

as defined in the appended claims.

'Ilhe invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

What is claimed is:

l. A valved coupling for temporarily connecting a high pressure grease gun to a sealed ball bearing comprising a pair of apertured cups, means for temporarily securing said cups together about the opposite sides of a sealed ball bearing, a plug adapted to fill the opening through the bearing, the aperture in one of the cups being larger than said plug, and a grease nipple mounting in the aperture of said other cup, said nipple mounting cup having an annulus adapted to abut the outer ring of the sealed bearing and space said cup from the ball space and thus provide a grease passageway from said nipple to the ball space.

2. A valved coupling for temporarily connec ing a high ressure grease gun to a sealed ball bearing comprising a pair of apertured cups, means for temporarily securing said cups to- ,gether about the opposite sides of a sealed bail no bearing, a plug adapted to fill the opening through the bearing, the aperture in oneof the cups being larger than said plug, and a grease nipple mounting in the apertureof saidlother cup, said nipple mounting cup having an annulus adapted to abut the outer ring o'fthe sealed bearing and space said cup from the-ball space and thus provide agrease passageway (from said nipple to the ball space, said temporary, cup securing means comprising an externally threaded flange on one cup and a matinginternally threaded flange on the other cup. 7

3. Means for regreasing a sealed ball bearing comprising a pair of mating cups adapted'to tem- 

